SHOPPERS IN IRELAND spent an additional €92 million on groceries over the Christmas period, 3.8% more than the same period 12 months ago.
The figure is included in the latest supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland, published today for the 12 weeks ending 1 January 2017.
Kantar said the fact Christmas Day fell on a Sunday in 2016 may partially account for the increase in spending as shoppers had two extra days to buy groceries.
The average household spend was €193, €35 more than last year.
Friday 23 December was the busiest day for retailers, with 55% of the population going to supermarkets on this date.
Supervalu was the most popular supermarket, increasing its market share to 22.8%. It was followed by Dunnes Stores, Tesco, Aldi and Lidl.
David Berry, director at Kantar Worldpanel, said: “With shoppers willing to fork out more over Christmas, it’s a vital time of year for grocers – an opportunity to pull away from the competition.
Whether that’s via a heartwarming Christmas ad or the best premium own-label offers for the big day, we’ve seen retailers going all out to persuade the Irish public to shop with them this festive season.
“It was Supervalu that came out on top after a tussle with Dunnes Stores at the end of last year, a position the retailer has held for 10 out of the past 12 periods.”
Increase in sales
Despite a return to second place, Dunnes Stores continued to perform well. Sales for the Christmas period were almost 5% higher than in 2015 and the average spend per trip reached a new high of €41.60, significantly ahead of any other retailer.
Tesco continued to improve its performance, with sales growing by 1.3% over the final quarter – up from the 1.2% growth the grocer saw in the 12 weeks to 4 December 2016.
Elsewhere, Aldi posted the strongest growth of all Irish supermarkets, with sales up by 5.3%. The retailer managed to attract 37,000 new shoppers this Christmas, boosting its market share to 10.5%. Lidl also recorded positive results, with festive sales 2.3% higher than in 2015.
Finbar McCarthy, Group Buying Director with Aldi Ireland, said this was the chain’s busiest Christmas ever, noting: “We sold over three million mince pies, 200,000 bags of chocolate coins, 170,000 Irish steaks, 70,000 litres of Prosecco, 60,000 kilograms of Christmas pudding, 30,000 Irish lamb legs and 6,500 litres of Champagne during this period.”
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